What are some of the cultural areas that you need to know more about before you make the partnership of the companies happen?

As a senior manager in a medium-sized but highly profitable equipment manufacturing organization, you and other senior leaders have decided to partner with another company on several projects of mutual interest. Your company has the financial strength and market strength to join the partnership, and you have negotiated a tentative agreement with the other company. Your company is in Houston, Texas, in the United States, but the company you are partnering with is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The other company has some very valuable products and customers, it has an experienced workforce, and it has great brand recognition.

What are some of the cultural areas that you need to know more about before you make the partnership of the companies happen? Specifically, what might the comparison and contrasts be in language, religion, forms of address, holidays, other time off, dress, and food? Research the culture, with particular focus on the business culture, and determine what cultural areas you must address to build a strong working partnership, and discuss how you will address each of them.

Present your ideas in a set of PowerPoint slides intended as a summary for your company managers. Use the Notes area of PowerPoint for your narrative textual information, with restricted use of text on the slides themselves. Review PowerPoint guidelines if you are not sure of the recommended way to set up the slides. Also refer to the PowerPoint Lab in the Learning Center, if needed.